It is often necessary for a fluoride containing gel or a gel containing another medicament to be applied to the teeth and gums of dental patients. For this purpose, it has been known to form a tray for the application of such a gel. An example of a conventional tray is that sold by Oral-B Laboratories consisting of a unitary tray structure having upper and lower cups. Each of the cups has a shape which roughly conforms to the upper or lower teeth, i.e., a generally C-shape, and has a concave medicament receiving surface. The cups are secured together by straps which normally maintain the cups in a planar relationship with both medicament receiving surfaces facing in the same direction. A gel is then loaded into the medicament receiving surfaces from a container such as a tube, after which the tray is folded about the straps so that the cups overlie one another with the medicament receiving surfaces facing away from one another. The tray, in this folded state, is then is inserted into the patient's mouth. The patient then bites down firmly into the concave medicament receiving surfaces and holds that position until the treatment is completed, after which the unit is removed from the patient's mouth and discarded.
It is important, in order to correctly position the tray in the patient's mouth, that it securely maintain its folded state as it is being inserted therein. For this purpose, the conventional Oral-B device provides a pair of handles which extend from opposite ends of the cup portions when the tray is in the unfolded state. Upon the folding of the tray, the handles overlap one another, and can be manually gripped. However, this solution has not been found to be fully satisfactory since it relies upon the ability of the technician applying the treatment to securely grip the ends of both handles without slippage. This is not always possible, and so at times the overlap and folded condition cannot be maintained and the medicament treatment is not properly carried out.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,219 discloses a disposable dental tray.
Treatment gels containing fluorides and other medicaments, formulated and packaged for filling and application to the teeth and gums of a patient in a dental treatment tray by a dentist are well known.